


木兰诗/Mulan

by Esmenet



Category: Mulan - All Media Types, 木蘭辭 | Mùlán Shī | Ballad of Mulan
Genre: Family, Gen, Poetry, Translation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-28
Updated: 2017-08-28
Packaged: 2018-12-20 20:55:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11929089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esmenet/pseuds/Esmenet
Summary: an original translation of the ballad of mulan; think less classical english poetry, more anne carson.





	木兰诗/Mulan

_clack-clack_ and _clack-clack_. mulan sits at the loom

but she is deaf to the sound of the shuttle, hearing only her own heavy breath

who are you thinking of? what’s on your mind?

she is thinking of no-one, remembering nothing.

last night the military notices were posted; the khan is gathering soldiers.

draft notices scroll after scroll, and the name of her father on every one.

her father has no grown son, mulan no older brother

she will saddle a horse and go in her father's place.

buying a fast horse from the east market, a saddle from the west market

a bridle from the north market, a whip from the south market

bidding farewell to her parents, she sleeps that night by the Huanghe.

no longer hearing her parents' voices, only the splashing of the river.

at dawn she leaves the river; by dusk she arrives at the peak of the black mountain

no longer hearing her parents' voices, only the babbling voices of foreign cavalry.

she travels ten thousand leagues on the business of war; she crosses mountain passes as though flying.

the north wind carries the watchman's bell, light glints off iron armor.

generals fall in a hundred battles, war heroes return home after years away.

returning, she meets with the emperor in the hall of light

he gives out promotions twelve ranks and more, rewards a hundred thousand strong.

the khan asks of mulan "what do you desire?"

mulan wants no government position. give me a horse and send this soldier home.

when her parents hear she is coming they go outside together to meet her

when her sister hears, she hurries to put on her makeup

when her little brother hears, he sharpens a knife to butcher a feast

open my east room, sit on my west bed.

take off my armor and don my old clothes.

sit at the window and put up my hair, put on my makeup.

my comrades come to visit at the gate and i watch the shock on their faces. 

"serving all those years together and we never knew mulan was a girl!"

they say male rabbits’ feet twitch, female rabbits’ eyes wander, but—

on the ground, who can tell if i am male or female?

**Author's Note:**

> [originally posted here](http://galliavalentine.tumblr.com/post/162341719025/)
> 
> [translator's notes](http://galliavalentine.tumblr.com/post/162446490465/)
> 
> original text for the poem may be found by googling/baiduing '木兰诗'.
> 
> i grew up with the disney movie and loved it to pieces. reading 木兰诗 gave me a new and deeper appreciation for the story; so much of the poem is about coming home after a long time away.


End file.
